Japchae (Korean Glass Noodles)

I love Korean food. One of the reasons is that I am crazy about kimchi. I would literally eat it every day. In fact it’s what I’ve been doing for the past few days thanks to that trip to a Korean grocery store. I came home with a large 4-litre jar of kimchi. Just yesterday I had a bowl of steamy rice and kimchi. A lot of it. And it made me so happy!

Having japchae (Korean glass noodles) is also a must when we visit a Korean restaurant. Like we have to have it no matter how much meat we’ve ordered for BBQ or how big that bowl of gamjatang (pork bone soup) is going to be. We love japchae!

Over that Korean grocery shopping trip, I also bought a bag of Korean glass noodles. Well, I just knew it wouldn’t be too difficult to make it at home. And in fact japchae is as simple as it gets. Just cook the noodles, eggs, vegetables and meat separately, then toss everything together in a sauce, all done! Great for lunch, dinner, snack, appetizer… I had it yesterday for dinner, and I couldn’t put my chopsticks down.

Directions:
Cook Korean glass noodles according to package instructions. Rinse under cold water and drain well. Set aside.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil over high heat in a wok or large skillet, fry eggs until the edges start to curl. Flip it over. Take off heat and slide eggs onto a cutting board. Let cool before slicing it thinly.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Sauté carrots and onions until softened, about 2 minutes. Briefly stir in meat. Transfer to another bowl.
Combine soy sauce, water, salt, sugar, sesame oil and garlic in the same skillet. Heat over medium heat until simmering. Add noodles and spinach. Stir fry until the noodles are glossy, spinach is softened and the liquid is absorbed.
Toss in vegetables and meat. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve warm.

Oh Fanny this looks like a wonderful meal! I like kimchi, only had it once ;) My son-in-law is Korean and I try to find recipes for my daughter to make. She loves all types of Asian cuisine, being the who introduced sushi to her siblings. Thanks for helping with her repertoire!! xo :)